Tonight is the night I have been anticipating since March Madness began. Tonight, Kentucky takes on West Virginia for a spot in the Final Four.
As you know, I am both an avid college basketball fan and a Kentucky alum. What you may not know is that several of the faves and the B are West Virginia alum... And that more importantly, Bub is a WVU student.
Unfortunately, the jam is in Florida right now looking at potential law schools so we aren't going to be able to watch the game together. However, that has not prevented us from some healthy bantering. Currently, Bub and Dock are golfing. Knowing that, I have called Bubs phone every hour since 7am and left the same voice mail- C-A-T-S, CATS CATS CATS. This afternoon, I am attending a work event so I won't have my phone with me. It's safe to say, when I return to my phone there will be an equal amount (if not more) voice mail messages, most likely with him yelling LETS GOOOOO MOUNTAINEERS.
I spoke to Dizz this morning, and the last thing she said was "Go Kentucky... And West Virginia! I brought a shirt for both teams, and I will switch each quarter."
Game starts at 7:05 tonight. The faves are going to grab a table at 5:00 (at the local West Virginia bar, of course). I will be the only Kentucky fan in the whole place, but I am OK with that, because I am confident Kentucky will be this years National Champion.
C-A-T-S CATS CATS CATS!!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Take Deep Breaths
One of my favorite books, Where the Heart Is by Billie Lets, reads “Our lives can change with every breath we take”. While that statement has always stayed with me, I never realized how true those words are until recently.
Since my last posting (sorry it's been so long) my life has changed in a big way, twice. Both of which happened in only one breath. The first change came in my professional world, the second in my personal.
Professionally, I was given a fabulous promotion. After nine months at Maroon, my boss and the prez called me in to “discuss social media”. In one breath we were talking about our clients and their platforms, the next breath I was being given a promotion. I am now the Manager of Social Media, which has given me incredible opportunities to grow and learn as a PR professional, and I couldn’t be happier.
Personally, I was faced with losing my first loved one. In 25 years, I had never been to a funeral that I remembered, or experienced death. A few weeks ago Dock and Dizz called to let me know that my Grandma was concerned about her health and had gone into the hospital where she’d been diagnosed with cancer. After surgery and complications, she had passed away. The jam flew down and supported each other while saying goodbye to someone we all loved very much.
Both experiences were completely unexpected, and both changed my life in a big way. The first taught me that honest work is noticed and rewarded, while the second taught me to appreciate the immensity of love whole heartedly.
Together, these changes reminded me to take deep breaths.
Since my last posting (sorry it's been so long) my life has changed in a big way, twice. Both of which happened in only one breath. The first change came in my professional world, the second in my personal.
Professionally, I was given a fabulous promotion. After nine months at Maroon, my boss and the prez called me in to “discuss social media”. In one breath we were talking about our clients and their platforms, the next breath I was being given a promotion. I am now the Manager of Social Media, which has given me incredible opportunities to grow and learn as a PR professional, and I couldn’t be happier.
Personally, I was faced with losing my first loved one. In 25 years, I had never been to a funeral that I remembered, or experienced death. A few weeks ago Dock and Dizz called to let me know that my Grandma was concerned about her health and had gone into the hospital where she’d been diagnosed with cancer. After surgery and complications, she had passed away. The jam flew down and supported each other while saying goodbye to someone we all loved very much.
Both experiences were completely unexpected, and both changed my life in a big way. The first taught me that honest work is noticed and rewarded, while the second taught me to appreciate the immensity of love whole heartedly.
Together, these changes reminded me to take deep breaths.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Not What I Expected
Over the past couple of weeks I have had several close friends admit to me that they're the happiest they've ever been. Fortunately I am able to say exactly the same. These admissions got me wondering what is so different about my life now… What changed that made me feel this happy? What defines my happiness?
Now that I have reached the big 2-5, I have taken some time to reflect on my life so far. At eighteen, I was convinced that my happiness at 25 would be defined by a boy (glad I got over that one), or a new city, or a degree, or a job… but that only one of those things would make me happy. What I have come to learn in the last seven years however, is that my happiness is defined not by a single milestone but rather a collection of accomplishments.
What defines my happiness now is that I have so much more than one thing to celebrate everyday. I am surrounded by encouragement and support. I have the most incredible family, friends, career, and home as well as a new faith that things can and will only get better.
As you know, I was terrified of turning 25. A week into it, though, I have come to realize that things are even better than I had expected. Let’s hope the same can be said when I hit 30…
Now that I have reached the big 2-5, I have taken some time to reflect on my life so far. At eighteen, I was convinced that my happiness at 25 would be defined by a boy (glad I got over that one), or a new city, or a degree, or a job… but that only one of those things would make me happy. What I have come to learn in the last seven years however, is that my happiness is defined not by a single milestone but rather a collection of accomplishments.
What defines my happiness now is that I have so much more than one thing to celebrate everyday. I am surrounded by encouragement and support. I have the most incredible family, friends, career, and home as well as a new faith that things can and will only get better.
As you know, I was terrified of turning 25. A week into it, though, I have come to realize that things are even better than I had expected. Let’s hope the same can be said when I hit 30…
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Year's Resolutions
As per tradition, with a new year comes a fresh start. The way most define this fresh start is through their New Year’s resolutions. Generally, like many I casually agree that I will change a few things for the year, and then shortly after February, those promises I made to myself are lost.
Since the last half of 2009 was the most incredible 6 months of my life, I am resolving to compose and keep New Year’s resolutions for 2010. To make sure I follow through, I am going to share my promises with those most important to me. Knowing that I do best in “three’s”, I will start with three this year.
Resolution Number One: Maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit.
I will keep my mind healthy by first not allowing myself to stress out about things I cannot control, whether they be personal or professional. I will let go of my biggest stressor and leave it in the past, and I will rely on friends and family instead of keeping things to myself.
I will keep my body healthy by keeping up with my gym routine (it is so nice to have the faves around for this resolution!) I will allow myself 8 hours of sleep each night, and I will attend regular doctor and dentist appointments.
In order to keep my spirit healthy, I will keep laughing often and loudly (regardless of what people say!) I will continue to give back to those who are less fortunate as often as I am able to, and I will remember to trust that things happen for a reason.
Resolution Two: I will budget, save and appreciate my money.
Through college I was a bartender and therefore when I needed (or wanted) extra money, I was able to work a couple of hours and make however much cash I needed. I also had my tuition, rent, car and bills paid for by Dock and Dizz- so the money that I earned was spent on clothes, shoes, purses, road trips, etc (WHY I didn't save this, I will never know).
Now I am living in the big city, with a career instead of a job and paying my own bills. Making this transition with money has not been easy, and I find myself frustrated often. (Not having any credit these days is almost worse than having awful credit!!) It is time for me to manage my money accordingly.
My Third Resolution: I will continue to learn, appreciate and grow in public relations.
In order to continue in my PR education, I will attend classes, seminars and webinars to learn new things. I will continue asking questions to my mentors, my educators and my coworkers when I am unsure. Lastly, in order to grow as a professional I will appreciate those who allow me to be here by coming to work prepared and excited.
I am looking very forward to making all of this happen in 2010, and I am certain that with the help of Dock, Dizz, Bub, The Jam, The B’s and The Faves, this will be the best year yet. I hope you are all able to say the same.
Happy 2010.
Since the last half of 2009 was the most incredible 6 months of my life, I am resolving to compose and keep New Year’s resolutions for 2010. To make sure I follow through, I am going to share my promises with those most important to me. Knowing that I do best in “three’s”, I will start with three this year.
Resolution Number One: Maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit.
I will keep my mind healthy by first not allowing myself to stress out about things I cannot control, whether they be personal or professional. I will let go of my biggest stressor and leave it in the past, and I will rely on friends and family instead of keeping things to myself.
I will keep my body healthy by keeping up with my gym routine (it is so nice to have the faves around for this resolution!) I will allow myself 8 hours of sleep each night, and I will attend regular doctor and dentist appointments.
In order to keep my spirit healthy, I will keep laughing often and loudly (regardless of what people say!) I will continue to give back to those who are less fortunate as often as I am able to, and I will remember to trust that things happen for a reason.
Resolution Two: I will budget, save and appreciate my money.
Through college I was a bartender and therefore when I needed (or wanted) extra money, I was able to work a couple of hours and make however much cash I needed. I also had my tuition, rent, car and bills paid for by Dock and Dizz- so the money that I earned was spent on clothes, shoes, purses, road trips, etc (WHY I didn't save this, I will never know).
Now I am living in the big city, with a career instead of a job and paying my own bills. Making this transition with money has not been easy, and I find myself frustrated often. (Not having any credit these days is almost worse than having awful credit!!) It is time for me to manage my money accordingly.
My Third Resolution: I will continue to learn, appreciate and grow in public relations.
In order to continue in my PR education, I will attend classes, seminars and webinars to learn new things. I will continue asking questions to my mentors, my educators and my coworkers when I am unsure. Lastly, in order to grow as a professional I will appreciate those who allow me to be here by coming to work prepared and excited.
I am looking very forward to making all of this happen in 2010, and I am certain that with the help of Dock, Dizz, Bub, The Jam, The B’s and The Faves, this will be the best year yet. I hope you are all able to say the same.
Happy 2010.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Toys for Tots
On Sunday, the faves and I went over to Dock and Dizzles to have lunch with them. When we opened their door to enter, we were surprised to find them downstairs in Docks office. We were even more surprised to see boxes, toys, pictures and Christmas decorations covering the first floor.
Of course, this inspired Dizz to share her stories with us. First, she went through a stack of frames filled with photos from several going away parties. My favorite being a large framed picture of the high school I attended. Next, were old pictures of the jam. Bub & his bowl cut, me with my hot-rolled hair & braces, both of us smiling awkwardly. The last thing that Dizzle found to share? My American Girl Dolls- all 6 of them.
When Dizzle introduced Kirstin, Samantha, Addy, Josefina, Felicity & Molly (yes, I still know their names) I was pleasantly surprised that the faves had their own memories of these same dolls. (Even though Becky’s memory was that she and I used to pretend they were rappers…while we were in high school.)
The American Girl dolls were an important part of my childhood. They were all given to me as gifts, so each Christmas for 6 years I had something to really look forward to. The fact that they’ve made it from MN to Baltimore and everywhere in between is pretty impressive.
Being reminded of how significant Christmas gifts can be allows me to reflect on what this weekend was about. 2009 has been an amazing year for me- by far the best yet. To help celebrate that, I hosted a toys for tots event for my friends and family to get together and donate their time and gifts while enjoying each others’ company. In a short time, we were able to collect over 100 toys to donate to Baltimore’s children.
I don’t remember seeing any American Girl dolls to donate, but I am confident that these toys will provide great memories for some special children this Christmas.
To learn more about Baltimore’s Toys for Tots program, check out: http://www.toysfortotsbaltimore.org/
Thank you to all that came out on Saturday!
Of course, this inspired Dizz to share her stories with us. First, she went through a stack of frames filled with photos from several going away parties. My favorite being a large framed picture of the high school I attended. Next, were old pictures of the jam. Bub & his bowl cut, me with my hot-rolled hair & braces, both of us smiling awkwardly. The last thing that Dizzle found to share? My American Girl Dolls- all 6 of them.
When Dizzle introduced Kirstin, Samantha, Addy, Josefina, Felicity & Molly (yes, I still know their names) I was pleasantly surprised that the faves had their own memories of these same dolls. (Even though Becky’s memory was that she and I used to pretend they were rappers…while we were in high school.)
The American Girl dolls were an important part of my childhood. They were all given to me as gifts, so each Christmas for 6 years I had something to really look forward to. The fact that they’ve made it from MN to Baltimore and everywhere in between is pretty impressive.
Being reminded of how significant Christmas gifts can be allows me to reflect on what this weekend was about. 2009 has been an amazing year for me- by far the best yet. To help celebrate that, I hosted a toys for tots event for my friends and family to get together and donate their time and gifts while enjoying each others’ company. In a short time, we were able to collect over 100 toys to donate to Baltimore’s children.
I don’t remember seeing any American Girl dolls to donate, but I am confident that these toys will provide great memories for some special children this Christmas.
To learn more about Baltimore’s Toys for Tots program, check out: http://www.toysfortotsbaltimore.org/
Thank you to all that came out on Saturday!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Locks of Love
November was a busy month that ended on a fantastic note. On Saturday Dizzle and I headed over to About Faces in Canton, where Jeff cut off ten inches of my hair for me to donate to Locks of Love.
Locks of Love is a non profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Anyone who has ten or more inches of hair to donate can pull their hair back in a pony tail or braid, cut it off and send it in.
It wasn’t until I sat in the chair at the salon that I started to feel a little anxious. While Dizzle took (a million) pictures, Jeff put my hair in a ponytail and without hesitation chopped it off. My anxiety went away when he handed me the ponytail- it was done! The first big surprise was looking in the mirror and not having long hair. The second surprise came when the B walked into the salon to surprise me and distract me through the change (I have some amazing people in my world).
After I was cut, dried and styled, we put the hair in an envelope along with the $1,020 that was so generously donated from my friends and family, (Thank you all!!) and sent it to Florida.
It was on Wednesday that I made the decision to donate my hair. By Saturday, with the support and empowerment of incredible friends, I was able to send a little over a thousand dollars, plus ten inches of natural blond hair to Locks of Love. Pretty amazing.
To read more about the organization check out http://www.locksoflove.org/
Locks of Love is a non profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Anyone who has ten or more inches of hair to donate can pull their hair back in a pony tail or braid, cut it off and send it in.
It wasn’t until I sat in the chair at the salon that I started to feel a little anxious. While Dizzle took (a million) pictures, Jeff put my hair in a ponytail and without hesitation chopped it off. My anxiety went away when he handed me the ponytail- it was done! The first big surprise was looking in the mirror and not having long hair. The second surprise came when the B walked into the salon to surprise me and distract me through the change (I have some amazing people in my world).
After I was cut, dried and styled, we put the hair in an envelope along with the $1,020 that was so generously donated from my friends and family, (Thank you all!!) and sent it to Florida.
It was on Wednesday that I made the decision to donate my hair. By Saturday, with the support and empowerment of incredible friends, I was able to send a little over a thousand dollars, plus ten inches of natural blond hair to Locks of Love. Pretty amazing.
To read more about the organization check out http://www.locksoflove.org/
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Family Tradition
The holidays are quickly approaching, (where did 2009 go?!) which for me also brings the celebration of tradition. Of the many traditions that have developed over the years, my favorite is Thanksgiving dinner with the jam.
As many families do, the four of us get together at Dock and Dizzle’s early in the morning on Thanksgiving Day. Andrew and I wear our respective college sweats the whole afternoon and “help Dizz in the kitchen” - Which really means we watch football and eat French silk pie batter.
The afternoon is unintentionally divided into each of us having time to reconnect. I am able to catch Dizz up on life, friends, and my opinions of our favorite TV shows while helping in the kitchen. I have the opportunity to talk with Dock about work, sports and more work while watching football on the couch. I also get to hear how school is going for Andrew while sharing my older sister words of wisdom as we're making the run to the Wine Market.
Around 7 we sit down and pile dinner onto our plates. Halfway through the turkey, Dock asks us the question we’ve been waiting for all day (as he’s been asking this question on Thanksgiving since we learned how to speak) - “What are the three things you are most thankful for this year?”
It’s during this time that I am humbled by the incredible support and love provided by the people closest to me. It’s easy to lose sight of what the holidays are really about and focus on the food we’re going to eat, what we are going to put on our Christmas lists and where we are going to bring in the New Year. Don’t get me wrong, I chose the chair next to the stuffing years ago, my Christmas list has been created since August and I have narrowed my New Years Eve venue down to three spots- but Thanksgiving is also a reminder that reflection is empowering.
My thoughts- take advantage of it. Share with those you spend your holidays with the three things that you are most thankful for this year.
As many families do, the four of us get together at Dock and Dizzle’s early in the morning on Thanksgiving Day. Andrew and I wear our respective college sweats the whole afternoon and “help Dizz in the kitchen” - Which really means we watch football and eat French silk pie batter.
The afternoon is unintentionally divided into each of us having time to reconnect. I am able to catch Dizz up on life, friends, and my opinions of our favorite TV shows while helping in the kitchen. I have the opportunity to talk with Dock about work, sports and more work while watching football on the couch. I also get to hear how school is going for Andrew while sharing my older sister words of wisdom as we're making the run to the Wine Market.
Around 7 we sit down and pile dinner onto our plates. Halfway through the turkey, Dock asks us the question we’ve been waiting for all day (as he’s been asking this question on Thanksgiving since we learned how to speak) - “What are the three things you are most thankful for this year?”
It’s during this time that I am humbled by the incredible support and love provided by the people closest to me. It’s easy to lose sight of what the holidays are really about and focus on the food we’re going to eat, what we are going to put on our Christmas lists and where we are going to bring in the New Year. Don’t get me wrong, I chose the chair next to the stuffing years ago, my Christmas list has been created since August and I have narrowed my New Years Eve venue down to three spots- but Thanksgiving is also a reminder that reflection is empowering.
My thoughts- take advantage of it. Share with those you spend your holidays with the three things that you are most thankful for this year.
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